People have been asking after me. "Are you getting some rest"? "I expect you are glad to be away from responsibilities in Edmonton, so you can get some rest". You must be feeling rested now...". Purposefully resting, "now I will go and rest" is not something I tend to do. I told one of the monks recently that when I can't keep my eyes open any longer I lay down and go to sleep. That's as close to purposefully resting as I get. However I'm one of those fortunate people who can fall sleep, at any time. I remember being on a hike with my dad in Scotland. We sat down on a pebble beach beside a river to have lunch and afterwards we both fell fast asleeeeep in the sun. It must be a family trait. These days though when it comes to sleeping at night before midnight, I remain wide awake.
Last night, partly in response to all those messages about getting rested, I decided to turn in early at 10.30 ish relinquishing the wish to write a blog entry. As midnight came and went and unconsciousness eluded me I wished I'd written instead. But this sleep pattern will have to change as monastic schedules set rising before 5.00 in the summer months and I'll be at Shasta Abbey in a couple of weeks.
I'll get in a bit of early-to-bed-early-to-rise practice this week-end as the community at Lions Gate Priory will be packing up and driving out to the retreat land near Lytton. We stay until Monday, a holiday in Canada. No late night blogging for me for a few days.
On the subject of resting? For me, the deepest rest is to simply sit, and I'm able to find more time for that at the moment. Thank you for your well wishes and kind concerns.
And Edmonton, Alberta, people, dogs, big skies, thunder, lightening, peeling paint, sunshine, hot cars. Like Singapore, you got under my skin and haven't left.
